An Atheist Homeschool Mom Comes Out

Last updated on: March 20, 2012 at 9:45 pm by Libby Anne

An Atheist Homeschool Mom Comes Out 2012-03-20T21:45:10-04:00 Libby Anne

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Kudos to blogger Leanna of Life on the Hill. She lives in Kentucky and homeschooles her children, and she has just come out as an atheist. Her story embodies so much of what I have thought and felt, as well as my philosophy on children and religion. Here are some excerpts from her coming out post:

I have often tiptoed around stating my lack of religious beliefs because, like many people in a minority, I fear being shunned and judged. I’ve described myself with words like non-religious, humanist, and freethinker and have most recently been playing with the “Unitarian” label. But as my kids get older, I don’t want them thinking there is anything wrong with me saying exactly what I am, in terms of my personal religious faith: an atheist. There, I said it. I am an atheist. I AM AN ATHEIST!

Because I homeschool my children, and over 80% of homeschooling families in this country are fundamental Christians (likely higher in Kentucky), it is often assumed that I am likewise a Christian. … I could join one of several wonderful homeschooling co-ops that are available in the area, if I were willing to sign a statement of faith and either teach my children creationism, or teach them to lie and say they believed in it. Neither route is acceptable to me, as I am homeschooling with the goal of better education for my children, not with the goal of indoctrinating them.

I am absolutely not opposed to my kids learning about religion. On the contrary, I try to teach them about as many faiths as I can. I am an atheist after all, but only my children get to decide what they believe.

Some people don’t understand how an atheist can believe in nothing. But I believe in the inherent goodness of people and in the beauty and wonder of the natural world. I don’t feel like I’m missing something by not believing in any gods. When I start thinking about the injustices and randomness of the world, I don’t understand how that could be compatible with an all-powerful, and also all-loving deity. In fact, my head starts to hurt when I consider all of the rationalizing that has to occur to reconcile those two qualities that are attributed to the Judeo-Christian god. To quote Richard Dawkins, “We are all atheists about most of the gods that societies have ever believed in. Some of us just go one god further.”

Read her whole post here.

It may be hard for Christians to understand, but this country can be a very difficult one for atheists to live in. When God is in the this country’s pledge of allegiance and on this country’s money, the claim that we have separation of church and state and freedom of religion rings surprisingly hollow. Furthermore, atheists with religious relatives or living in highly religious areas face stigmatization and even shunning if they come out about their lack of belief. I have lived in a college town ever since coming out, so I don’t feel the consequences that atheists like Leanna will. Perhaps someday I will.

If you doubt what I say about consequences, you need only look at this link. After Fox News broadcast a story about a lawsuit a group of atheists were bringing about the display of a cross using public money, its facebook page was flooded with death threats by people arguing that atheists are not even human. Not just a few death threats. 8,000 death threats. Here is a fairly comprehensive list of the ways atheists are discriminated against in American society today. I’m not whining. I don’t believe in dwelling on problems but rather on moving forward and working to fix them. I’m just pointing out the reality.

On a related note, I appreciate what Leanna said about not wanting her kids to think that there is something wrong with owning what you believe. There is something to be said for modeling honesty, courage, and self acceptance. I also appreciate Leanna’s point about teaching her children about all the different religions and allowing them to make their own choices. My parents picked my religious choices for me. I won’t do that to my daughter.

Note: I feel like my views on homeschooling have been sort of scattered on this blog, and that’s probably because I’m still trying to sort them out exactly. I believe that homeschooling to indoctrinate or isolate (aka “shelter”) is absolutely wrong, and that some parents are simply not qualified, either academically or personally, to homeschool. However, I’m actually very attracted to a sort of freethinking unschooling type of homeschooling. Learning through doing and learning as a family is very appealing, and I have seen homeschooling succeed as well as fail. Yet I have decided tentatively that homeschooling is not for my family because I want my children to have the chance to be normal and have the common experiences I never had. Schools act as social and cultural centers for children, and I want that for my children. I don’t like the idea of being able to control everything about my children’s lives. I also don’t think putting my children in public school means that I can’t teach them as well or that we can’t still learn together as a family. The school will only have them for six or seven hours a day, after all.

Atheism

Homeschool

Previous Post

August 10, 2011

Parenting Is Not A Contest

Next Post

August 12, 2011 Uptate on website countering Vision Forum

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Atheism Evangelicalism/Fundamentalism Family Feminism Homeschool Meta Parenting Patriarchy Politics Purity Quiverfull Social Justice Uncategorized Worthwhile reads

Select a Month February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Where was Jesus Born?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Bethlehem Jerusalem Nazareth Shiloh